Both methods aim to raise a settled slab back toward its original position — but the material, the holes, the cure time, and how long the fix lasts are very different. Here's an honest, side-by-side look so you can choose with confidence.
The comparison below is about method and durability only. Both approaches can raise concrete; they simply do it with very different materials and leave very different footprints behind.
| Factor | Polyurethane Foam | Mudjacking |
|---|---|---|
| Material | High-density poly foam injected under the slab | Cement-and-soil slurry pumped under the slab |
| Weight on the soil | About 2 lbs per cubic foot — very light | Roughly 100 lbs per cubic foot — far heavier |
| Injection holes | About ⅝ inch (roughly the width of a dime) | About 1⅝ inch — noticeably larger |
| Cure / return to use | Cures in about 15 minutes; walkable in ~15 minutes, driveable in about an hour | Hours to days before it fully sets and bears load |
| Water & longevity | Water-resistant and rated for 25+ years | Can absorb water, wash out, or re-settle over time |
| Load on weak soils | Light — adds little weight to already-soft ground | Heavy — adds significant weight to the sub-base |
| Mess & footprint | Small ports, minimal cleanup, blended patches | Larger holes and more surface disturbance |
This is the only method Beehive installs — here's exactly what happens under your slab.
We drill ports about ⅝ inch across — roughly the width of a dime — and inject high-density poly foam beneath the slab. The foam expands to fill the voids and raises the concrete back toward its original position.
Cured foam weighs only about 2 lbs per cubic foot. It's bio-friendly and inert once cured, made from recycled, biobased material, and water-resistant — so it won't add heavy load to the soft ground that let the slab settle in the first place.
The foam cures in about 15 minutes. Your slab is walkable within roughly 15 minutes and driveable within about an hour, and we patch the small holes to blend in afterward.
15min to cureMudjacking is the older approach, and it's worth understanding honestly.
Mudjacking pumps a cement-and-soil slurry through holes about 1⅝ inch wide to push a slab upward. It can absolutely raise concrete — it's been used for decades. The tradeoffs are in the material itself: that slurry weighs roughly 100 lbs per cubic foot, so it adds significant weight to ground that is often already soft or poorly compacted. Along the Wasatch Front, where expansive clay soils, old Lake Bonneville lakebed sediments, and loose builder fill are common, piling more weight onto a weak sub-base can contribute to settling again over time.
The slurry is also susceptible to water. Poor drainage, downspouts washing out the sub-base, or plumbing leaks can erode the material, and a mudjacked slab can wash out or re-settle as the fill breaks down. The larger holes are harder to hide, and the material can take hours to days to fully cure before the slab is ready for normal use.
We chose one method and committed to doing it well.
Beehive installs foam only. We don't offer mudjacking, because for the soils we work in across Utah County and Salt Lake County, polyurethane foam consistently checks the boxes that matter most: it's lighter on weak ground, leaves far smaller holes, returns your slab to use the same day, resists water, and is rated for 25+ years. When the goal is a fix that holds up to Wasatch Front clay, freeze-thaw cycles, and drainage problems, a light, water-resistant material makes more sense to us than a heavy slurry that can wash out.
Every job is backed by our 2-year re-lift guarantee, we're fully insured, and we start with a free inspection plus an upfront written price — so you know exactly what the work involves before we begin. No deposit — you pay when the work's done.
Mudjacking is a proven, long-used method and it does raise concrete. For the soft, expansive soils common along the Wasatch Front, though, we prefer polyurethane foam because it's far lighter on weak ground, uses smaller holes, cures faster, resists water, and is rated for 25+ years.
No. Beehive installs foam only. We focus on high-density polyurethane lifting because it best fits the soils and conditions we work in across Utah County and Salt Lake County.
Often, yes. We can inject foam beneath a slab that was mudjacked in the past to fill new voids and raise it back toward its original position. The best way to know for sure is our free inspection, where we assess the slab and give you an upfront written price.
Polyurethane foam is water-resistant and inert once cured, and it's rated for 25+ years. A cement-and-soil slurry can absorb water, wash out, or re-settle over time — especially where drainage is poor — which is one of the main reasons we install foam instead.
Foam ports are about ⅝ inch — roughly the width of a dime — compared to roughly 1⅝-inch holes used in mudjacking. We patch the small foam holes afterward so they blend in.
The foam cures in about 15 minutes. Your slab is typically walkable within about 15 minutes and driveable within about an hour, and most residential jobs finish in 1–3 hours, same day.
Every lift is backed by our 2-year re-lift guarantee, and we're fully insured. You'll get a free inspection and an upfront written price first, and there's no deposit — you pay when the work's done.
Raise a sunken or trip-lipped driveway back into place.
Lift a settled patio that's pitching back toward the house.
Erase trip hazards and re-align uneven walkway slabs.
Lift interior garage slabs through small holes, low mess.
Water-resistant lifting for settled pool decks.
When lifting beats a full tear-out, and when it doesn't.
Free inspection and an upfront written price — no deposit, you pay when the work’s done.